difc wills & probate registry

DIFC Wills & Probate Registry: How It Works

If you're a non-Muslim with assets in Dubai or Ras Al Khaimah and you want your estate to pass under common-law principles rather than Sharia, the DIFC Wills & Probate Registry is the route most expats take. Here's what it actually does, who can use it, and what it costs in 2025.

Quick answer

The DIFC Wills & Probate Registry (also called the DIFC Wills Service Centre) lets non-Muslims register a will in English that, on death, is enforced by the DIFC Courts over assets located in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. It was set up in 2015 under DIFC Resolution No. 4 of 2014 and now operates under the Wills and Probate Registry Rules. You can register five types of wills: full, business owners, financial assets, property, and guardianship. Fees start at AED 5,000 for a single will, AED 7,500 for mirror wills.^[1][2]

Who can use it

You qualify if you're 21 or older and non-Muslim. That's the main filter. Your nationality doesn't matter, your residency doesn't matter, and the assets you cover don't have to sit only in Dubai — the registry's jurisdiction was extended to Ras Al Khaimah in 2019 through a memorandum with the RAK Courts.^[2]

The registry exists because UAE federal law applies Sharia inheritance rules by default to assets in the country, including for non-Muslim expats, unless a recognised alternative is registered. Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 on Civil Personal Status now gives non-Muslims more flexibility too, but a DIFC will is still the cleanest, most tested mechanism for Dubai and RAK assets — particularly real estate and shares in onshore companies.^[3]

Muslims cannot register here. If you're Muslim, your estate goes through the Sharia courts or, in some emirates, the new civil personal status regime.

The five will types and what they cost

You don't have to write a sprawling document covering everything. The registry offers five options so you can match the will to what you actually own:

• Full Will — covers all worldwide assets but enforced by DIFC Courts for UAE assets. AED 10,000 single, AED 15,000 mirror.
• Property Will — up to five UAE real estate properties. AED 7,500 single, AED 10,000 mirror.
• Business Owners Will — shares in UAE companies. AED 10,000 single, AED 15,000 mirror.
• Financial Assets Will — up to ten bank, brokerage, or investment accounts in the UAE. AED 7,500 single, AED 10,000 mirror.
• Guardianship Will — appoints guardians for minor children resident in the UAE. AED 5,000 single, AED 7,500 mirror.^[1]

Mirror wills are two near-identical wills for a couple — usually each leaving everything to the other, then to the children. Cheaper than registering two separate full wills.

Honestly, most expat families end up needing either a Property Will plus a Guardianship Will, or a Full Will. The Financial Assets and Business Owners versions are useful in narrower cases.

Costs (2025): Registration fees are paid to the DIFC Courts. Lawyer drafting fees are separate and typically run AED 3,000–10,000 per will depending on complexity. Translation into Arabic is not required at registration but will be needed at probate stage.^[1]

How registration actually works

You draft the will (usually with a lawyer or a registered will-writing firm), then book an appointment at the DIFC Wills Service Centre on Level 5 of Precinct Building 5 in the DIFC, or now via virtual registration introduced during 2020 and still available.

At the appointment, you sign the will in front of a Registry officer who acts as witness. Two witnesses are required under the Wills and Probate Registry Rules; the Registry provides them. The will is then sealed and stored electronically. You get a certified copy.

Virtual registration uses video conferencing — the officer witnesses you signing remotely, then you courier the original to the Registry. Useful if you're outside the UAE.

You can update or revoke at any time. Amendments (codicils) cost AED 550. A full re-registration costs the original fee again.

What happens at probate

When the testator dies, the executor named in the will applies to the DIFC Courts for a grant of probate. The DIFC Courts issue an order, which is then taken to the relevant authority — Dubai Land Department for property, the bank for accounts, the Department of Economic Development for shares — to transfer assets to the named beneficiaries.

Probate fees at the DIFC Courts are tiered by estate value, starting around AED 5,500 and capped. The whole process typically takes 4–8 weeks if the will is clean and uncontested. It's faster than going through the onshore courts for a Sharia-based distribution, which is the whole point.^[2]

This is where people slip up: the executor needs to be someone who's actually willing and able to act, ideally UAE-resident or with a UAE-based agent. Naming an overseas sibling who's never set foot in Dubai will cause delays.

For broader estate planning questions, see our family law category for related guidance.

Watch-outs before you register

A few things worth knowing:

• A DIFC will only governs UAE assets. Your home-country assets are governed by that country's succession law — you may need a separate will there.
• Beneficiaries don't need to be non-Muslim. The restriction is on the testator only.
• The DIFC will overrides Sharia distribution for the assets it covers, but only if registered before death. Drafting one and not registering it gets you nothing.
• Joint accounts and jointly owned property pass under the account/property terms first, not the will. Check the title documents.
• Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 created a parallel civil regime for non-Muslims that can also handle inheritance. For Dubai and RAK assets specifically, though, the DIFC Wills & Probate Registry remains the most predictable option because the case law and probate process are mature.^[3]

If you've moved emirates, changed marital status, had a child, or bought property since your last will, update it. Outdated wills cause more probate fights than missing ones.

Need this checked for your situation? Talk to a UAE-licensed lawyer →

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Citations

^[1] DIFC Courts, Wills Service — Fees and Will Types. https://www.difccourts.ae/wills-service ^[2] DIFC Courts, Wills and Probate Registry Rules (current version). https://www.difccourts.ae/rules-decisions/rules ^[3] UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 on Civil Personal Status, published in the Official Gazette, in force February 2023.

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